Nevada County picayune., 1887-08-11
lNCERSOLL ON SOCIALISM.
1t is the Worst Possible Form of
 Slavery and Should Fail.

COfnt or the pest anu puieSt VI our race have advocated what IS known as socialism. They have not only taught, but, what is more to the purpose, have believed that d nation should be d family; that the government should take care of all it's children; that 1t should provide work and food and clothes and education for all, and that 1t should divide the results of all la Dor equitably with all.
 Seeing the inequalities among g men, knowing of the destitution and crime, these men were willing to sacrifice not only their own lib critics, but the Hotties of all.
 Socialism seems to be one of the worst possible forms of slavery. Nothing, in my judgment, would so utterly paralize all the forces, all the splendid ambitions and as- pirations that now tend to the civ ilizatiOn of man. In ordinary Sys- tems of slavery there are some masters, d few are supposed to be free, but in sOcialistc state all would be slaves.
 If the government is to provide work, it must decide for the work :. eI what he must do. It must say who shall chisel statues, who shall paint pictures, who shall compose music and who shall practice the professions. Is any government or can any government bc, capa ble of intelllgently performing these countless duties? It must not only control work, it must not only decide what each shall do, but 1t must control expenses. be- cause expenses bear direct rela- ton to products. Therefore, the government must decide what the worker shall eat, and wherewithal le shall be clothed. the kind of house in which he shall live; the way it shall be furnished, and if this government furnishes the work, it must decide on the day S and hours of leisure. More than this, it must fix values, it must de- eide not only who shall sell, but who shall buy, and the price that must be paid and 1t must fix this value not simply upon the labor, but upon everything that can be produced, that can be exchanged or sold.
 Is it possible to conceive of q despotism beyond this! The pres ent condition of the world is bad enough, with it's poverty and ig- norance, but it is far better than 1t could by any possibil ty be under any government like the one de scribed. There would be less hunger of the body, but not ot the miud. Each man would simply be citizen of large penitcntiary, and, as iu every we'll regulate d prison, somebody would decide what each should do. The in- |, mates ofa prison retire early, they rise with the sun. they have some thing to eat; they are not dissipa- ted; they have clothes; they attend divine service; they have but little to say about their neighbors; they do not suffer from cold; their hab. it's are excellent; and yet no one envies their condition. Socialism destroys the family. The chil. dren beloug to the state. Certain officers take the place of parents. Individuality is lost.
 The human race cannot afford to exchange its liberty for any possi- ble comfort, You remember the old fable of the tat dog that met the lean wolf in the forest. The volt, astOuished to see so pros porous an animal, inquired of the dog where he got his food, and the dog told him that there was man who took care of him, gave him his breakfast, his dinner and his supper with the utmostregnlarity, and that he had all, all that he could eat and very little to do. The wolf sad: ''Do you think this man would treat me as he does youw The dog replied: "Yes, come along with me-" So they logged on together toward the dogs home. On the way the wolf happened to notice that some hair was worn off the dogs neck, and he said: "How did the hair be- come wornW That iS,o said ihe dog, sthe mark of my collar; ny
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